1. BREASTMILK CHANGES DURING A FEEDING/PUMP SESSION:
If you look at the previous picture, the milk on the left is a lot more watery/blue than the milk on the right. In the beginning of a feeding/pump, milk is more watery (foremilk) and towards the end of the feeding, it becomes more fatty (hindmilk). One is not better than the other and both are important to the nutrition of your baby.
2. BREASTMILK CHANGES THROUGHOUT THE DAY/NIGHT
Did you know you release the most prolactin (milk-making hormone) between the hours of 2-5 am? Prolactin slows down from late afternoon/early evening. This means you’ll likely see more milk and faster flow in the mornings.
3. BREASTMILK CHANGES AS YOUR BABY GETS OLDER:
When your baby is first born, you produce colostrum that has a crazy high amount of immunoglobulins that protect your newborn. After 2-3 days, your milk changes and increases in volume to transitional milk, then after about 2 weeks, this changes to mature milk. Mature milk still has lots of immunological benefits, but it also has lots of fat and proteins to support your growing baby. Then when your baby becomes a toddler, milk volume decreases but it is packed/concentrated with antibodies and fat.
4. BREASTMILK CHANGES DURING ILLNESSES AND GROWTH SPURTS:
Breastmilk is pretty consistent with its contents fat, proteins, and sugars (lactose) throughout the first year, but what changes a lot is the immunological contents when baby or mom are sick or even just exposed to a bacteria or virus. I think that’s the coolest thing ever. Then during a growth spurt, babies tend to nurse more often which will increase the volume of milk to meet their needs.
5. BREASTMILK CHANGES IN FLAVOR:
According to research, the food mom consumes can change the flavor of breastmilk! Some flavors mom eats lasts longer than others; for example, menthol lasts for days in milk and banana only lasts a few hours. Also, since colostrum has a high sodium content, it tends to taste saltier than mature milk.
6. BREASTMILK CHANGES IN COLOR:
Breastmilk can be all colors of the rainbow! You’ll see blue foremilk, yellow/creamy are the more “normal” colors, a medication called minocycline can turn your breasmilk black!! Red/pink may indicate blood from damaged nipples (it’s not dangerous for baby to eat this but you need to figure out why you’re bleeding so you don’t further damage your nipples”. Breastmilk color can also be affected by the things you eat, a lot of green veggies or green drinks can turn breastmilk green, and he same goes for red/orange foods/dyes.